Jamyia’s Story
“What they’re doing with her, it’s working. She’s done a 180° turnaround.” Jamyia’s mother had to say about her daughter’s time spent in Operation Shoestring’s afterschool partnership with Galloway Elementary this year. Jamyia is a fearless, fun-spirited little girl who enjoys new things and loves to learn. Which is why her mother was so heartbroken to hear about her daughter’s ongoing struggle to keep up with her peers in the 1st grade last year.
And this year, after she began her second attempt at 1st grade and scored at the bottom of her class on the STAR test used to measure student progress, Jamyia’s mother and her teachers saw her enthusiasm fading.
That’s when Mr. Beasley, her Operation Shoestring teacher, in partnership with her school day teacher, doubled down. He found more time to spend with Jamyia one-on-one, reading aloud and working out lessons together. He took special care to praise every ventured attempt Jamyia made to offer answers aloud during group activities.
“She started talking about what she was learning again, even getting onto me if I showed up a minute too soon to pick her up from afterschool,” said her mother.
In December, Jamyia was one of the highest STAR test scores in her class—third overall, to be exact.
This year has been an incredible leap forward for Jamyia, and the data tells us that positive results like these are to be expected from year-round, high quality programs like ours.
We’re certainly seeing those results here at Operation Shoestring. Children in our programs have improved attendance at school, behavior and academic performance.
Meanwhile, we help provide their families access to the training, education and tools they need to be able to support their children’s path to success.
Outcomes like these lead to better graduation rates, a stronger work force, and ultimately…
a stronger Jackson.
We all rise together.